Wetland wildlife
Marvellous murmurations: why do birds flock together?
Flocking birds are iconic sights in winter wetlands, when a group of birds come together in large numbers in flight or to forage. But why do they do it? We take a look at the bird behaviour behind flocking.
Lucy Lapwing shares her love of mini-wetlands
Wetlands are the watery habitats such as ponds, rivers and marshes that are essential for wildlife. In fact, freshwater wetlands support more life per square kilometre than any other type of habitat. But the UK has suffered devastating wetland loss over hundreds of years. We’ve lost 75% of our wetlands in the last 300 years.
A birdwatching code of conduct: How to respect our wetland nature while still getting the most out of your birdwatching experience
We’ve pulled together some useful tips on how to get the most out of your birding, while still protecting and respecting the birds and wetlands you love.
Migration record breakers
Bird migration is a death-defying feat, but some birds have turned this yearly event into something of an extreme sport. Here are just some of the species pushing the limits of what’s possible while migrating from their wintering to breeding grounds and
Surviving winter: How we give wildlife a spring start
As our overwintering birds get ready to fly back to their breeding grounds, or start to pair up and build their own nests, we take a look at some of the ways our reserve team have kept them safe and healthy over winter, to give them the best chance of br
Wetlands throughout the seasons: summer sights
As the mercury rises and the long days draw out over our wetland landscapes, we know that summer is here. Spring bird migration is over but we’re now in the thick of new life emerging, with some real jewels to be seen. Even the smallest pond can be a
A spotlight on wetland wildlife - April 2021
April started with warm temperatures but northerly winds soon set in and brought cool air and very little rainfall. This resulted in our wetlands experiencing different weather to recent springs, with bird migration not quite as early as it would have bee
Migrations series – How do birds know where to go?
Migrating birds follow predictable routes. These routes are well known; we call the one that brings wintering birds to our shores the Northwest European flyway and the one that brings summering birds the East Atlantic flyway. You can’t see them, but they
Waterlife photo competition - 2020 results
Here are the results of our annual 2020 Waterlife photo competition, where you can see the full shortlist of the best of our entries. Every year we run our Waterlife photo competition for members and this year, despite the challenge of not being able t
Curlew sightings are a sign of hope for 2021
Glimpses of young curlew give encouraging signs for the 2021 breeding season, although it's still early days for the declining curlew.
Five wetland plants with secret superpowers
Plants are the structural foundation of wetlands, supporting a range of life. They also have some amazing and unexpected qualities. Yet they are often under-appreciated.
How to tell the difference between frog and toad spawn
Have you spotted any frogspawn yet? Whether it’s in a local pond or your own back garden it’s always an exciting moment. Along with daffodils and birdsong it’s one of the first signs that spring is here. We know it can be hard to tell exactly what is wha
A spotlight on wetland wildlife - January 2021
We’re back with our first reserve roundup of 2021 and we find ourselves well and truly in the middle of winter. If you've missed our reserves, here's your chance to enjoy some winter wildlife virtually.
A spotlight on wetland wildlife - December Christmas Special
Join us for the final reserves roundup of 2020, where we hear updates on what's going on at WWT's 10 sites with a festive twist.
Wetlands throughout the seasons: winter
As the temperature drops, our wetland world is transformed. While much of the world slows down, winter wetlands come alive with their own special beauty. Find out more about the sights and sounds of wetlands in winter.